Office of the Public Protector says their office receives about 10 anonymous corruption related cases reported every week.
Office of the Public Protector, Public Relations Officer, Riebeck Hazela, said their office being an implementer of the whistleblower act, receives regular reports from the public.
He said the institution’s preventive approach towards corruption through their citizen awareness activities has led to the number of cases reported per week.
Mr Hazela disclosed to ZANIS that in order to reduce cases of corruption in various institutions in the country, there is need to end maladministration.
“Maladministration is an ingredient of corruption, so it is important to stop corruption in its infancy, and we are doing everything possible to ensure we fight maladministration cases before they graduate into corruption through public sensitization,” he said.
Speaking during the Africa Anti-Corruption day exhibition held at Anti-Corruption Commission Head Quarters with other law enforcement Agencies this afternoon, Mr Hazela urged members of the public to follow the right channel in reporting cases of corruption or grievances in their work places and not take the law into their own hands.
“If a member of the public is not happy with a service they are at liberty to report to our offices anonymously. We make sure that people’s identity is not disclosed,” he said.
Meanwhile, speaking at the same exhibition, Anti-Corruption Commission Assistant Director in the Public Education Department, Masauso Nyangulu disclosed that the essence of the exhibition is to provide awareness to the public about the devastating effects of corruption.
Mr Nyangulu called on the members of the public to come on board in the fight against corruption at all levels.
He also urged the public to utilize the secure anti-corruption reporting system which is an online anonymous whistleblower system (OAWS).
“The system protects the reporter and only those in authority will receive the report as it safeguards the person reporting any corruption case at their office, no one can know who has reported, not even the one receiving the report,” he said.
ZANIS reports that the Africa anti-corruption day is being commemorated under the theme, ‘Effective Whistleblower Protection Mechanism; A Critical Tool in the Fight Against Corruption.’